NHS vs Private

Hi! So following a perforated eardrum that I had repaired 15 years ago, I was told I have mild hearing loss at high frequencies in my right ear... My hearing has remained stable up until about 2 years ago, and following Eustachian tube problems and near constant infections it has deteriorated and I've now been diagnosed with sensorial hearing loss, and I'm currently awaiting results of an MRI scan... My question is regarding hearing aids... Do I stay with the NHS and see what they decide (which could take weeks/months, anyone's guess, and that's if they even decide to offer me one at this point!) or is it better to start looking into private audiologists? Obviously financially NHS would be the best route, however my hearing loss is affecting my job, so from a time point of view private would be worth it... I also have to consider what kind of aids would be appropriate from both sectors, as I'm very prone to outer ear infections, so I'd be very concerned about hearing aids that would aggravate it! Thanks in advance for any advice/experiences! X

[GRboyRiches]

Hi, choosing the right hearing aid is a mine field...NHS do the job, they make you hear, where you hear is another question, if your content just to hear the TV and your next door neighbour, fine, but if your a active person who likes to go out and mix, you need to go the private route, so what Aid, all companies, inc the ones who make the NHS brand, make high quality Aids, do you want to connect your aid to a phone, some are better than others depending on what phone you have, some have better Apps which allow you to have multi functions, the thing now, there are rechargeable systems where you don’t have to change batteries, so you need to really make your mind up as to what you want from a Hearing Aid, and pick one you feel comfortable with, and of course a cost that is affordable, a lower cost aid is not normally as good as the higher cost ones, purchase a Aid on need, with the right advice, generally go to a independent, not a Large High Street Outlet, as they deal in all brands not just there own, and always know which brand and Model you purchase, I’ve seen many people coming away from High Street Stores after purchasing a Aid and not have a clue what they’ve bought, don’t be sucked in by dodgy TV ads, not all is what it seems .

[Hidden in reply to GRboyRiches]

Thank you for all your help and information, definitely a mind field that's for sure! As it's just my one ear I'm not overly looking for anything too much... But I definitely miss being able to socialise and hear and be part of conversations... and I work in a pre-school nursery, so a lot of background noise and I'm definitely struggling! I guess my best bet is to speak to someone independent once I've had my MRI results back and we know exactly what we I'm dealing with... Thank you x

[GRboyRiches in reply to Hidden]

Just one ear, need a slightly different approach, as it is one ear you may not need top end aid, I would look at your discrimination, the problem is, normally a one ear loss could be fairly severe, and there is a problem of Cross hearing, dependent on loss, you need to try a couple of different Aids , but Sensorineural loss is normally in both ears, but one ear may be slightly better than the other, which gives you the impression that one is normal and other bad, how it goes.

[Hidden in reply to GRboyRiches]

Thank you! Very informative! I'm not entirely sure exactly how much hearing I have left in that ear but I don't think it's much... My left ear is perfectly fine on the graph... Thanks for replying and all your information and help x